free rein

American

noun

unhampered freedom of movement, choice, or action.

Students have free rein to choose their own class schedules.

free rein Idioms

see free hand.

Etymology

Origin of free rein

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“One of the things I knew going into the project is that we weren’t going to have free rein access to them at every minute, every second of their time in Los Angeles,” he said.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

Letting AI complete tasks for you often means giving it free rein over your data.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

Born in 1827, Stanley was the eldest of 10 children given free rein to develop their own thoughts and beliefs.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

But a bigger majority in parliament could give her coalition free rein for expansionary fiscal policy.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

Mr. Peale had given him a free rein to wander and enjoy himself after being cooped up in the house.

From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023